there have been a few bad moments lately. >> i think he's being humble. >> two of our favorite >> i've seconds. and what happened?

>> they choked. >> the u.s. team falls apart, and the europeans take the ryder cup back home. and is there life out there? nasa says a river really did run through it. more evidence there may have been life on mars. and good evening, everyone. you're in the cnn newsroom, i'm deborah feyerick in for don lenin. let's get you up to speed on the day's headlines. the presidential candidates are headed west. president obama is in nevada tonight, holding a rally at desert pines high school. let's take a moment, listen in. >> i'm going to use the money we're no longer spending on war to do some nation building here at home. rebuilding our roads, and our bridges, and putting americans back to work. that's part of what makes america strong. that's what we're going to do. so that's the choice we face in this election. what the election comes down to,

and you are going to hear over the next two months, i know you must be tired of hearing hands, but you're going to hear more over the next two -- or the next six weeks, and over and over again you're going to hear my opponents talk about how bigger tax cuts, fewer regulations, that's the way to go. and since government can't do everything it should do almost nothing. they're making -- if you can't afford health care, then hope you don't get sick. if you can't afford college, borrow money from your parents. you know what? that's not who we are. i don't think government can solve all our problems but government's not the source of all our problems, either. there's some things we've got to do together. we -- instead of going around blaming somebody, unions or immigrants or gays or somebody, for what's going on, what we need to do is pull together. we're all in this together.

we believe that america only works when we all accept responsibility for ourselves, and for each other. that's how we -- >> and mr. obama will be on the road through wednesday's first presidential debate. mitt romney heads to colorado tomorrow, where he'll hold a rally, and continue his preparations for wednesday's showdown in denver. he went to church this morning outside boston, but held no public events over the weekend. in iraq, at least 30 people were killed today in a wave of bombings. some explosions hit in or near baghdad. it is the deadliest day in iraq in nearly a month. shiite muslim communities appear to be the main targets of the attacks. a christian pakistani girl accused of desecrating the koran is set to be cleared of all charges. tomorrow a juvenile court in pakistan is expected to uphold a police investigation that found the 14-year-old was not only innocent, she was framed by a

muslim cleric in her hometown. the cleric now faces blasphemy charges of his own for tearing pages out of a koran to use as evidence against the child. and this is the center of a desperate search for two little children in middle tennessee. a family home that burned down last weekend, everyone believed a 9-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother were among those killed. but their remains have not been found. police now consider the kids not dead, but missing. more on this story coming up just moments away. and in texas, stranded drivers had to be rescued after flooding drenched parts of the state yesterday. get this, the past three days, yep, brought more rain than texas got all of last year when it suffered through one of the worst droughts in history. today's storms move east into parts of louisiana and mississippi. they're expected to continue on that path for the next 48 hours.

the pope's former butler is on trial in vatican city courtroom. that's off limits to tourists. he's accused of stealing secret papers from pope benedict xvi and leaking them to an italian journalist. the trial is in recess until tuesday. but the court denied a motion to strike some of the evidence, including a gold nugget found in the butler's apartment. a huge golf upset at the ryder cup. the europeans rally for a dramatic comeback against the u.s. team to hold onto the trophy. german golfer martin kaymer sank the winning putt on the 18th hole to clinch the victory. the u.s. dominated days of one and two of the competition but had no answer as the europeans came roaring back on the final day of play. more from the ryder cup in just a few minutes. in los angeles, crews working quickly to finish this bridge demolition over the 405 freeway. there were some scary moments when a portion of the mulholland

bridge came down unexpectedly, narrowly missing a couple of workers. it was feared the construction would cause massive traffic jams on one of the nation's busiest freeways but no traffic snarls materialized. people stayed home. the 405 is set to reopen at 5:00 a.m. local time tomorrow. voter registration fraud hits the republican party. there's word tonight that rnc officials have cut ties with a consulting firm it hired to register new voters. florida owe election officials say the firm turned in suspicious voter application forms. cnn's david mattingly has been investigated. >> we don't know how big or how small this is going to be but we do know that election officials in florida right now are looking at these forms that were filled out. this coming from a company called strategic allied consulting, was hired by the republican party to do voter registration there. which is something parties do in just about every election. but what they were doing here, this company says one of their employees may have put

fraudulent signatures on some of these forms. they don't know for sure but they turned over these documents to the election officials there, and now they're going to be going through 106 of these applications. officials say they may actually broaden that out in palm beach county. which seems to be ground zero for this. officials there saying they may look at 60,000 recently changed applications, just to make sure this isn't part of the bigger trend. so, it may be just one -- something out of 106. but they're going to look for more, but we're told that the election supervisor in that county is saying she doesn't believe this is a crisis, but she wants to be sure. >> you know, it's interesting. because you're talking about 106 registrations. but clearly you have that. you have only one person doing it. still it taints really the entire process which is why they're being so careful. and it's not just in florida that this firm was doing voter registration, correct? >> that's right. this firm was hired by the republican party to work in a number of the battleground

states, florida, colorado, north carolina, virginia. the rnc, the republican national committee, says that they were severing ties with them, so essentially that company has been fired. and we're waiting to hear from all of those states to find out if they are still using them. >> you mention that these are battleground states and that's exactly why voter registration in this area is so crucial. >> and absolutely why they need to maintain the integrity of the process, which is why they're reacting in the way they are. >> absolutely. dave mattingly, thanks so much as always. appreciate the insight. all right. the supreme court has a full docket when the new term starts tomorrow. we'll look at some of the hot-button issues the justices are expected to tackle. and this from the campaign trail. when you're running for president every moment counts and even mitt romney's running mate admits there have been a few bad moments lately. >> romney's been an absolute idiot -- >> i think he's being humble. >> two of our favorite political analysts on whether romney can recover at this week's presidential debate.

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>> look, i don't know if it's a smart strategy, but i know it's a realistic strategy. obviously they're down in the polls. they've got to do some retweaking. i think he's being humble. i think he's being realistic. he's admitting there's been some mistakes made. rid million roy has admitted he didn't do the mostar tick lot expression when he was speaking about that 47%. so i think it is a good thing. they do need to eat a little humble pie and admit that things are not all rosy. >> peggy noonan has said this is sort of a hinge, this is a turning point, it has the potential to alter the dynamic of the election. l.z., do you see the debate as that crucial this first one? >> absolutely. i think the first debate is the only debate that really matters at this point. because if mitt romney can't get president obama in the first, who wants to hear what he has to say in the second orred third. i have to make sure we're on the same thing, these haven't been gaffes by mitt romney. this is mitt romney. this is not the first time he's

talked about not necessarily caring about people less fortunate than him. he flat-out said he wasn't very concerned about the very poor. so this isn't like a misstep or a one-off. this is consistent theme with him, and it's up to the voters to figure out whether or not they agree with him or not. they're not gaffes. they're him. >> so let me ask you, what does -- how does mitt romney have to appear during that presidential debate? does he have to be deferential, does he have to be aggressive? what is the right tone? because when we saw him, you know, before when he was -- when he was running for the nominee, he could be a little bit aggressive. remember that point when he said to rick perry, i'll bet you $10,000. not going to go over as well in the presidential debates, i don't think, l.z., right? >> no, absolutely not. and the thing is, is that mitt romney really seems to fungd well when he's coming from behind. so if there's anything that would give him any hope it's that when he seems to be coming from someone else has momentum, he can take that momentum, he seems to perform much better

than has a front-runner. if he has any hope going in knowing expectations are extremely low for him, if he's able to take that and be aggressive and attack president obama, because let's face it the president is still extremely fuller inable. the only reason why romney isn't winning is because romney's been an absolute idiot the past two to three weeks. so if he can correct that by being aggressive, perhaps he can swing the momentum back to his favor. >> we like to use the word missteps. anna, let me give you the final word. president obama is vulnerable. he's been called a wonderful orator, that he mesmerizes audiences when he speaks, but he is vulnerable. where does romney have to strike him? >> look, i think romney needs to do what he did in the last two debates of the primary in florida. he needs to come across as knowledgeable, he needs to come across as presidential, assertive, know his stuff, do his homework. not dodge the questions, but rather answer them directly. and i think he needs to pivot and put the pressure back on

president obama. if he does those things, if we see the mitt romney that we saw in the last two debates in florida, we're going to see a very able and capable candidate. >> okay. well, judges, lawyers, other washington, d.c. decisionmakers attended today's red maps, including six of the nine supreme court justices. the annual event aims to bring people together to pray for members of the judiciary. before the court begins hearing cases. named red mass because of the color of the garments worn by clergy. some people criticize the service, saying it mixes religion and government. and the supreme court may tackle hot-button issues like affirmative action and same-sex marriage when its new term starts tomorrow. the justices went their separate ways for the summer after the court's controversial health care ruling in june. joe johns takes a look at how the health care ruling may have affected the justices' relationships, and the tough issues ahead for the court. >> reporter: at the beginning of the new session the supreme court is going to be closely watched for signs of strain

between the justices or anything else that suggests things may have changed since the health care ruling, which arguably was the biggest opinion by the court since bush versus gore more than a decade ago. right after the supreme court's health care decision in june, chief justice john roberts joked to colleagues that he would find an island fortress to escape the political heat. here's how justice ruth bader ginsburg described the eventful spring. >> the term has been more than usually taxing. some have called it the term of the century. >> reporter: now, three months later the court is back and there are no signs of it cooling down. >> the justices are moving from the frying pan right into the fire. they are tackling some of the most difficult legal questions of the day. across the board, probably, the biggest term in at least a decade. >> reporter: cases involving the contentious issues of affirmative action, same-sex marriage, voting rights, and abortion, are all likely to come up this term, which kicks off monday.

>> there are some very exciting cases already on the docket, and there's a lot more in the pipeline that the court will be making a decision on soon. >> reporter: another set of big decisions will bring even more scrutiny on the chief justice. rumors surfaced that the health care ruling he authored caused a personal rift with fellow conservative colleagues including justice antonin scalia. a claim scalia denied to cnn's piers morgan. >> no, i haven't had a falling-out with justice roberts. >> foul words exchanged? >> no. >> slamming a door? >> no. nothing like that. >> reporter: the other big question, will the chief justice take the court in an aggressive new direction? liberals fear a more hard-line, dogmatic shift to the right. >> a lot of progressives are concerned that this might mean that chief justice roberts has built up some capital, some goodwill, and will now push the conservative agenda. >> reporter: tom goldstein, who has argued before the court,

thinks roberts wants a more conservative court but that he'll do it gradually. >> he's not trying to move the law radically quickly. i think, justice scalia, or justice thomas really want to get to the end answer as quickly as possible, and make the law conform to what they really understand. whereas the chief justice is more incrementallist. >> reporter: but conservative court watcher carrie severino doesn't believe much will change any time soon. >> certainly this is not a crusading conservative court, until we have a shift, i think in the membership of the court it's impossible to call it a court that leans more to the left or to the right. >> reporter: for the opinions that could be close 5-4 decisions, attention will also be paid to justice anthony kennedy, who's frequently the swing vote in some of the toughest cases. >> joe johns there for us in washington. a tennessee house fire leaves two grandparents dead, and there's no sign of two kids who were staying at the home. it's been a week and investigators are getting desperate.

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distraught parents and frustrated police officers, they found nothing today in a place where two small children were last seen in tennessee. this is a small community of unionville where police believed for days that a younger brother -- young brother and sister had died. well the remains have still not been found prompting the search to go wider, and become much more urgent. here's our national correspondent susan candiotti. >> reporter: deborah, authorities in tennessee spent yet another day looking for any sign of 9-year-old chloie leverette and her 7-year-old half brother gauge daniel. on sunday they took a team of dogs to search the area around the house, and even looking in the woods, to see whether they could pick up any leads as they search for these children. more than a week after sifting through ashes and debris, investigators have found no sign of 9-year-old chloie leverette and 7-year-old gauge daniel.

no sign the youngsters were there, and so far no evidence they weren't, when an inferno swept through the home where they lived with their grandparents. friends and family don't understand, and neither does anyone else. >> i think something's very fishy. >> the more you find out, the more questions you have. >> reporter: helicopters equipped with infrared cameras found no sign of the children in surrounding woods, either. the children were last seen playing in the neighborhood about three hours before the fire started last sunday night. did someone take them? a tennessee bureau of investigation issued an amber alert friday night. calling the missing children endangered. authorities don't know what caused the fire, adding to the mystery. >> they said it was not an intentional fire. but obviously there's more to it than that. >> reporter: chloie's parents are not considered suspects, according to police. >> we are tired. but we want this to -- to continue on until we find out what's really happened to these

children. >> reporter: police have a number of leads but they're not discussing them. of course there are a lot of questions. for example, could the children have run into the woods when the fire started? or, did someone kidnap them? the search continues on monday. deborah? >> susan candiotti. thanks. the u.s. took a big lead into the final day of the ryder cup. but eventually, it just all fell apart in the face of a european comeback.

it's being called a historic win over the americans. the european team rallying from behind to win golf's prestigious ryder cup. even on home turf, america's best golfers just could not quite pull it off. shane o'donahues who more from medinah country club. >> reporter: everything pointed towards a victory in the ryder cup. they had home advantage. their players were in inspirational form, and they had a seemingly insurmountable lead

going into sunday's 12 singles matches. 10-6 was the gap. but they came up against a european side clearly in inspired form, as they bulldozed their way through sunday's singles matches to eventually accumulate 8 1/2 points from a possible 12. the home side were left shell-shocked. >> played great. as i said, tiger played great. a lot of guys played great and just got beat by guys who played a little better. >> definitely tough losing. nobody wants to lose. but you know, they played better than we did today. >> how's this compared to '99? >> that was fun. this was pretty miserable. you know, a hell of a lot of fun being on the other end. it wasn't very much fun today. >> we tried to get points on the board early and get the lead, and we did that. and we fed through the rest of the team, and -- i can't believe it. it's an unbelievable feeling. >> reporter: rory mcilroy nearly didn't make it to the first tee sunday, mistaking eastern time for central time. but eventually hitching a ride

in a police car, no less, and getting here with a precious seven minutes to spare. he then casually went out onto the course without hitting a practice ball and contributed a valuable point to the european effort. shane o'donahue, cnn, chicago. minutes to spare. well, men in zebra stripes seem to be the most popular guys on the planet today. the regular nfl refs back at work. referees greeted like a rock star in jacksonville, florida. even posing for photos with fans and players. in houston, a fan's sign read welcome back, zebras. the end of the three-week lockout sent replacement refs packing, questionable calls and all. the refs are happy to be back after closing a deal on an eight-year contract that comes with a pay raise. well, just three days until the two men who want to lead this country go head-to-head in their first debate. what can voters expect? that's up next. jen's car wasn't handling well.

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and it's just past the half hour now. let's take a look at the headlines. countdown to election day with just a little over five weeks to go, president obama is out west holding a rally this hour at las vegas high school. he will be on the road through wednesday's first presidential debate. mitt romney, keeping a lower profile over the weekend. he was at church this morning outside boston. tomorrow he heads to colorado, rallying a crowd and preparing for wednesday's debate. key decisionmakers attended today's annual red mass, including six of the nine supreme court justices.

the annual event aims to bring people together to pray for members of the judiciary before the court begins hearing cases. it's called the red mass because of the color of the garments worn by clergy. some people criticize the service, because they say it's too much of a mix of religion and government. a christian pakistani girl accused of desecrating the koran is set to be cleared of all charges. tomorrow, juvenile court in pakistan is expected to uphold the police investigation. the 14-year-old was not only innocent, but that she was framed by a muslim cleric in her hometown. the cleric, he now faces blasphemy charges of his own for tearing pages out of the koran to use as evidence against the girl. it is the face-to-face showdown political watchers and voters have been waiting for. no tv ads, no campaign surrogates, just the president, and his challenger one-on-one. so what is at stake in this first debate wednesday? cnn's athena jones takes a look

for us. >> reporter: both the obama and romney campaigns are doing their best to lower expectations ahead of wednesday's debate. >> we've expected all along that governor romney will have a good night. he's prepared more than any candidate in history. >> president obama is a very -- he's a very gifted speaker. the man's been on the national stage for many years. he's an experienced debater. he's done these kinds of debates before. this is mitt's first time on this kind of a stage. >> reporter: ryan's words echoed a memo from romney adviser beth myers who said the president was widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history. myers even pointed to a cnn/orc poll showing a 25-point advantage for obama on who voters think will win the debates. the obama camp likes to remind voters the president hasn't had as much time to prepare for the debates because he's busy being commander in chief. when it comes to just how much debates matter, it depends. >> most often debates don't make that big a difference.

very few candidates ever win an election with a debate. but quite a few have lost an election with a debate. so it can matter. >> reporter: these match-ups can produce some memorable lines. like in 1980, between then-governor ronald reagan and president jimmy carter. >> there you go again. >> reporter: and lloyd bentsen's swipe at fellow senator dan quayle in 1988. >> i served with jack kennedy. i knew jack kennedy. jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you're no jack kennedy. >> reporter: and then there are the moments that seemed to say more. like president george h.w. bush looking at his watch in a 1992 debate with bill clinton. >> i can't. >> reporter: texas governor rick perry's oops remark. >> oops. >> rick, i'll tell you what -- >> reporter: romney's high-dollar wager. >> $10,000 bet? >> reporter: and obama's comments to then-rival hillary clinton in 2008. >> you're not old enough to remember that. >> reporter: one thing analysts agree on, the debates may be romney's big chance. >> he's got two very tough

competing goals, be likable and lay out a contrast. it's hard to be likable when you're the attack dog. >> we've gotten to know barack obama pretty well. we've seen this president for four years. there's not a lot of room left on his list to paint. mitt romney, he still has a little white space on his canvas. he can still show us who he is and where he'd lead us. >> reporter: the president spends the first part of the week in the battleground state of nevada, looking for debate prep with massachusetts senator john kerry who is playing mitt romney. governor romney will be in colorado, another swing state, where he'll be practicing with ohio senator rob portman who is playing president obama. athena jones, cnn, washington. so what will they say and what will the memorable moment be when president obama and mitt romney will be face-to-face? as american voters weigh their choice the first of three presidential debates, that's coming up this wednesday night. you can watch it here with us, live, at 7:00 eastern, on cnn and on cnn.com. of course we take politics very seriously here.

there's also a funny side. and i talked with comedian ben gleeb about debate messaging. let's get right to it. camps on both sides seeming to manage expectations. is that like trying to make sure that each side doesn't step on a land mine kind of thing? good idea? >> yeah. yeah, exactly. trying to put out fires before they happen. which is not even how fire departments operate. but it's pretty amazing how every year they expect us to believe this person can take our nation and in a lot of ways, the planet, into a new day. can lead us through the most difficult times we're experiencing in modern history. yet, also, we should believe they're not great in front of a camera. don't expect too much, though. they're also a little nervous in front of people. >> well, happy birthday to the it turns 30. no googling. the singer had two first name so

bruce springsteen is out. see if you got it right.

♪ i don't need you to worry about me because i'm all right ♪ ♪ i don't want you to tell me it's time to come home ♪ >> well you're listening to billy joel's "my life" a much

younger billy joel. it's when his album 52nd street, which was the very first commercial cd ever released. the compact disk turns 30 years old tomorrow. oh, my gosh! when the first cd player hit the market in 1982 it sold for $730. today, the equivalent would be $1700. well notorious gangsters bonnie and clyde shot dead 78 years ago, in an auction today. nearly 100 of bonnie and clyde's possessions went on sale, including pistols the duo were wearing when they were killed. those two guns together, get this, sold for more than half a million dollars. when it comes to gun control, those on the extremes of the debate go one or two ways. on one side gun control is a threat to all law abiding gun owners and the right to protect themselves. on the other side, gun control

is the only way to stem gun violence and potentially prevent tragedies like the colorado movie massacre and the wisconsin temple shooting. where do the candidates stand? when it comes to the second amendment, both barack obama and mitt romney, say yes, they support it. >> i believe in the second amendment. i believe in people's lawful right to bear arms. >> i will protect the second amendment rights of american people. >> both sides stick to language in the constitution. with president obama attempting to pacify critics from the national rifle association. >> i will not take your shotgun away. i will not take your rifle away. i won't take your handgun away. >> reporter: the fact he hasn't even tried doesn't placket the nra, with continued unsubstantiated warnings that began back in 2008. >> all that first-term lip service to gun owners is just part of a massive obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions, to destroy the second amendment

during his second term. >> reporter: romney, who's been actively cultivating the nra, speaking at this year's convention, it's a switch for the once tough on guns governor. consider the assault weapons ban. president obama is a yes, but with an asterisk. mr. romney moves from a yes to a no. here's why. in 2004, governor romney signed a permanent assault weapons ban in massachusetts. now, candidate romney says he opposes any new laws. >> we need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners. >> reporter: after aurora, mr. obama stressed the need for a ban on assault weapons. so that's a yes. >> a lot of gun owners would agree that ak-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. >> reporter: the reason obama's yes has an asterisk is that in four years, no new gun control laws have been enacted. in fact, under obama's watch, concealed weapons are now allowed on amtrak trains and in

national parks. >> he's continued to pay lip service to those things. but he hasn't shown real leadership in pursuing those changes. >> reporter: yes, background checks have gotten more thorough under obama. where people legally buying guns in gun shops. but the big problem remains gun shows and the internet. specifically, unlicensed dealers selling firearms to buyers with no background check needed. president obama has supported closing the gun show loophole in the past. but the white house says his focus now is on existing laws. governor romney says no to any further regulation of gun shows. >> there's no particular change in law that's going to keep people who are intent on doing harm from doing harm. >> the majority of gun owners would agree that we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons. >> reporter: so while president obama says he wants tougher gun laws, little was done during his first term. republican challenger romney has

done more in the past, but now says it's enough. both candidates apparently not so different now when it comes to gun control. and you can stay informed on all the issues and political news from the campaign trail. logon to cnn.com/politics. so is there life out there? nasa says a river really did run through it. we're talking mars. and more evidence there may have been life on the red planet. and we want viewers to stay connected to cnn, even on the go. so grab your mobile phone, go to cnn.com/tv. if you're on a desk top or laptop you can also watch cnn live.

well, nasa believes it's found evidence that there was once fast-flowing rivers on mars. scientists already knew there was once water there, but this is something altogether new. earlier i spoke with an expert on the planet about what this could mean for our own rivers here on earth. look, that is a picture of mars there, and then, the more black and white one, that is a picture of earth. what does this suggest about our planet? does this suggest that perhaps one day rivers and streams dry out? or, or does there need to be a catastrophic event for that to happen? >> that would be a very catastrophic event, indead. the earth is so blessed with abundant water, and of course, that's part of the -- the fact that it's habitable. earth is a wonderful planet.

this is news from another planet that has gone through different history. different set of geological events, and perhaps, perhaps has harbored life. will we see that with this rover? maybe. but this is certainly showing we had a lot of water in this particular location. >> what's fascinating is that, as you say, you've known that there was water. now you have sort of, not boots on the ground, but a rover on the ground, gathering all this information. if we can listen in to the private conversations going on now at nasa, what exciting things are they -- what possibilities are they talking about? >> well, what -- one thing we'll do is we'll learn the composition of these pebbles, because they represent a lot of different terrains potentially that fed this one area, and perhaps that tells us about the geological history. but the cement that's holding them together is even more interesting. perhaps, just perhaps, it's carbonate cement, and that's a different kind of chemistry. and we're going to see a lot more of this in days to come, in

the rover's going to be active for at least two years. so there's a lot coming up. >> denton abel out of new york. no one wanted to invest in a latino man's dream of opening a restaurant in his dallas neighborhood. boy did he show them wrong. ed lavandera talks with a chef who stopped at nothing to open his high-end restaurant. >> reporter: raul reyes is unlike any chef and restaurant owner you've ever met. >> this is, you know, something come from my heart. >> reporter: he's talking about construction bought he just doesn't build authentic mexican seafood dinners, he built this restaurant with his own hands. when raul reyes courted investors to help him start mesa restaurant on jefferson boulevard in the heart of a predominantly latino neighborhood in south dallas, he says he was told, sorry, can't help. >> they said, you create amazing dishes, and your food is

fantastic, but you're not going to bring gringos. >> reporter: with that rejection in hand and $26,000 in savings, reyes got to work. raul, everything in the restaurant you found dumpster diving, in trash bins? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: most of everything in here is other people's trash in >> yes, mm-hmm. >> reporter: so these are just crate pallets that were just thrown away. >> yep. this bar, the most -- >> reporter: the bar cost you $80? >> yes. >> reporter: you're a little bit of an artist. >> thank you, my friend. a little bit. >> reporter: in the last year, reyes, his family and a few friends created the most unlikely upstart sensation. with trendy urban decor, dallas magazine called it the restaurant of the year. and now he's expanding. how many more tables are you going -- >> want to add at least 12 tables. >> reporter: his carpenter by day, chef by night, is adding

more space and he's still scrounging for materials. so all of this was leftover wood from a guy who builds fences? >> yes. and the metal, it's scrap metal. >> reporter: chief marketing officer for a firm in austin, texas, called cultural strategies says many latino-owned start-up businesses struggle for access to investment capital. >> people just kind of see them -- a cultural barrier? >> definitely, every city, and i would say in the world, has that divide. and sometimes it's easier to start a business if you're in the right part of town. that is one of many barriers that you encounter as you figure out a way just to hop over it. >> reporter: when night falls on jefferson boulevard, raul reyes puts down the hammer and works the mesa kitchen. you feel like superman? this morning you were wearing a tool belt, now you're wearing a chef's jacket? >> kind of. >> reporter: reyes dreams of opening more restaurants, bottling his family inspired mole sauce and selling it in

grocery stores. and he smiles when he thinks back to those investors who said gringos wouldn't come eat in his part of town. >> this restaurant is filled up with gringos every night. >> reporter: ed lavandera, cnn, dallas. well, be sure to watch when cnn presents latino in america. courting their vote. it airs next sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern, here on cnn. from the white house to wall street, our correspondents have what you can expect for the week ahead, and we begin tonight with a presidential debate on wednesday. >> i'm dan lothian at the white house. a big week for president obama as he faces his gop opponents in the first presidential debate in denver on wednesday. a lot is riding on the performance of each candidate, and both campaigns are trying to lower expectations. now, following the debate, the president will spend the next two days campaigning in the important battleground state of ohio. by the way, president obama will prepare for the debate in

nevada, where he'll also hold a campaign rally. >> i'm paul steinhauser on the campaign trail. republican presidential nominee mitt romney flies to colorado tomorrow. he holds a rally in the swing state tomorrow night before hunkering down for final preparations. meanwhile his wing man, running mate paul ryan, campaigns in the beginning of the week in iowa. i'm poppy harlow in new york. all eyes will be on the economy this week. the big news for wall street comes on friday with the september jobs report. of course, that is key for the markets. it's also key in the race for the white house. also ahead, we'll get a look at september auto sales data. as well as the latest look at construction spending. we'll see if those indicators show any continued signs of improvement like we've been seeing in the housing market. and the fed releases minutes from its last meeting, shedding more light on the central bank's decision to try to further stimulate the u.s. economy. we'll track that and all the week's business news on cnn money. i'm a.j. hammer, here's what we're watching this week.

jamie presley is going to be joining me to find out what she's been up to lately and we've also got a big show biz countdown this week of the best presidential impersonations ever. you got to tune in to see if your favorites make the cut. >> thanks, guys. some high school students thought they were pretty funny nominating a girl to the homecoming court as a joke. but, well, she got the last laugh.

a young girl nominated for the homecoming court as a prank. she could have just let it go

but instead she embraced it. >> reporter: a superstar practically overnight. 16-year-old whitney kropp is a role model to anyone who's ever been bullied. >> i will survive. >> we love you whitney! >> reporter: but this sophomore's journey to stardom was no fairy tale. when her peers picked her for the homecoming court as a joke, she had thoughts of suicide. >> i'm like, wow, i feel like stress. i feel like a little thing that no one really cares about. >> reporter: at her sister's urging she decided to keep her title on the court. >> if i were in your position, that would be really hard to do. >> it's really hard to do right now, because at first i had thought about driving out with the homecoming court, and i'm not this joke that everyone thinks i am. >> reporter: well that's exactly what she did. and since then she's been swamped with support. from the local hair salon that gave her a new 'do.

>> to know it was all just a joke it really touched me. >> reporter: to the facebook page with over 100,000 fans. >> it's so cool to see, you know, e-mails that we're getting or she's getting from parents and other students from all over the place, telling their stories, and how, you know, it helped them, and it touched them. and you know, my daughter is out there as a inspiration to a lot of people. and that's a really cool thing. >> see you're like send really. misstreeted, unappreciative abused but after much support you're going to have a great time at the ball. >> i thought before no one cares about me. i thought, you know, not even my own brother and sister care. but they're proving they do care. the world is proving that they, well not really care about me, but they care about the situation. >> reporter: folks from all over the state are here tonight. in fact this group of girls traveled more than an hour away. you left your home football game to come here and support whitney. why? >> we just wanted to show whitney that our entire student body is completely and 100% behind her. ep